# CNN.com headline: 'Cyclist wins 2nd Tour de France' **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 26, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274 "2015-07-26T23:04:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/21 "2015-07-27T19:14:00Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > The probably tried _Froome Wins 2nd Tour de France_ and someone thought, “that looks stupid.” They were thinking how many people would know who Froome is much less what is the Tour de France. The headline does away with Froome and gives some inkling about what the Tour de France is. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/22 "2015-07-27T19:51:54Z")
> [@Tread](#): > > That would be far more amazing, since the Kentucky Derby is for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. Not really. With the exception of Mr. Ed, horses don’t learn how to tell time/date/age until age 5. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/23 "2015-07-27T22:19:37Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > And thus no interest in reading the article. Talk about targeting your audience! Well, sure. I wish more articles had nice clear, informative headlines that tell me I’ve no interest in reading the article. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/24 "2015-07-27T22:28:45Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > The headline helps explain the subject of the story to someone who has no idea what the Tour de France might be. > [@JerrySTL](#): > > The headline does away with Froome and gives some inkling about what the Tour de France is. By the argument you guys are making, CNN still screwed up. If what you’re saying is true then the headline should have been “Tour de France is a bicycle race”. But most people aren’t going to see that information as the heart of the story. When it comes to sporting events, people want to know who won and what the score was. That’s the information you put in your headline. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/25 "2015-07-27T22:45:57Z")
I’m dying here. Soccer team wins second World Cup! As for those who say “not all Americans know what the Tour de France is,” well if somebody doesn’t know, they could glance at the article. That’s hardly onerous. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/26 "2015-07-28T01:09:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > A _cyclist_ won his second Tour de France? A _cyclist_? Twice is pretty good. How many times has a cyclist won the Tour de France, anyway? I didn’t know there were two Tour de Frances. Who won the first one? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/27 "2015-07-28T01:13:45Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > I didn’t know there were two Tour de Frances. Who won the first one? 🙂 [Maurice Garin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Garin) ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/28 "2015-07-28T01:44:35Z")
A standard rule of headline writing is not to use proper names unless they are well known and instantly recognizable to the audience. ESPN should have used his name, CNN shouldn’t have, at least for an early article. You’ll see that every headline has his name today. “Pilot Crashes Plane” or “Driver Caught In Hit And Run” are interesting unless they are named. I’m interested in a plane crash or hit and run, I’m not interested in someone I don’t know named Bob Smith fucking up his life. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/29 "2015-07-28T01:56:50Z")
Winning an athletic event is virtually inevitable unlike a car wreck. The interesting part is who won and the details. So a headline “Fastest Tour de France win ever” would be interesting, or naming who won, or simply “Tour de France concludes”, or “French cyclist wins Tour de France” but simply announcing that a cyclist won adds no information and seems silly. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/30 "2015-07-28T02:00:17Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Mick Foley won the Tour de France? :eek: That’s gonna put some butts in the seats. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/31 "2015-07-28T03:05:21Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > simply announcing that a cyclist won adds no information and seems silly. That’s not what the headline was, though. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/32 "2015-07-28T03:21:59Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > That’s not what the headline was, though. The only additional information was that some anonymous cyclist had won twice, which is not terribly remarkable. Four cyclists have won five times each (and “nobody” won seven times in a row;)). In fact, since that’s the only non-obvious information imparted, it makes it sound more unusual than it is. It’s both silly and misleading as to the importance of the information. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/33 "2015-07-28T16:08:08Z")
[Tour De France Won By Rowdy, Tattooed Biker From Harley Davidson Team](http://www.theonion.com/article/tour-de-france-won-rowdy-tattooed-biker-harley-dav-50932) ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274/34 "2015-07-28T22:34:29Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > No, it’s not like that at all. > It would be if the headline read _Cyclist wins Tour de France_. > But it said _Cyclist wins 2nd Tour de France_. > There is a subtle but significant difference. > mmm It’s very subtle! I think it’s surreptitiously suggesting _A Streak? :eek: Test him for Steroids NOW!_ –G! No good deed goes unpunished. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-com-headline-cyclist-wins-2nd-tour-de-france/726274.md?page=1)